Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 116: Chapter 15 Red Flag Pickles Factory

The poster of “My Fair Princess” on the wall was splattered red with a streak of blood, Li Yan stood on a rotting cat-faced corpse, humming “Matched Musketry” and searching through the supermarket’s shelves with his head back…

“Ah, found it.”

Li Yan tore open the paper box, which was full of Sony batteries. After fiddling for a bit, the Walkman holding Liang Ye’s spirit finally lit up again.

“Do you really think I sing well?”

Liang Ye’s voice came out from the speaker at the back of the Walkman.

Nearly a whole day had passed, and this was still what Liang Ye cared about most.

Li Yan thought for a moment: “Indeed not bad, if it weren’t for this mess, maybe you would have made it.”

As he spoke, Li Yan asked again, “Can you come out?”

“I can, but not for too long.”

“That will do.”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Li Yan collected the batteries from the box: “Let’s go, I’ll treat you to pickles…”

“I haven’t been out for seven years, anything will taste delicious. Did you see my parents? Oh, right, you don’t know where my parents live. Why are you helping me? What’s your deal with that woman? Dude, where are you from? I can’t place your accent…”

Li Yan: “…”

By the time Li Yan walked out of the “Jiajiale Supermarket,” it was already two in the morning. There were still over five hours until the end of “the boiling midnight.”

Li Yan, walking alone on the street, seemed solitary, but in reality, he had to count Ghost Rider, Lady Dan, and the chatterbox, Liang Ye.

Among them, Ghost Rider was a rather direct summon, which Li Yan could control directly through his thoughts. Ghost Rider had basic intellect, but it was limited to fighting and couldn’t do much else.

The relationship between Lady Dan and Li Yan was more complicated. This wild Mountain God that came from Joseon’s Dragon Tiger Qi had power undoubtedly no less than that of the Ten Cities, and even Li Yan’s Fleeting Glimpse could not discern anything from her.

However, since she inexplicably appeared in Yu Shu’s gourd and was brought out of her original world by Li Yan, she had been in a state of recuperation.

Because Lady Dan had never shown any malice towards Li Yan, he couldn’t gauge how far she had recovered from her threatening aura.

Lastly, there was Liang Ye, the spirit bound within the Walkman, which had no combat capabilities and couldn’t bring this fruit out, but for the current Li Yan, its utility was even above Ghost Rider’s.

Li Yan couldn’t help but think, if he went back to the execution ground with a carrot in his mouth and Liang Ye’s bgm, what a spectacle that would be.

However, the suppressing effect of the Market Execution Ground seemed much stronger than that of the ruins of the Catholic church. In Li Yan’s opinion, ensuring his own safety was already the best outcome.

Yet, what Li Yan wanted was not just self-preservation but to make contact with that illusory stage that was as fleeting as a bubble, to find the hidden “Yan Fu’s Secret Treasury”, and at the very least, to revenge a grievance.

…

Rows of red-tiled green eaves and intricately carved buildings, but Li Yan, wrapping his arms around himself, stared at the sign for a long while without entering.

Red Flag Pickles Factory

Li Yan circled several times, unable to find the three characters for Liubi House.

If it weren’t for the map he’d purchased with points clearly marking it as the location of a more than hundred-year-old pickle brand, Li Yan would have felt a bit uneasy.

“Yo~ sir, I’m sorry, we’re not serving.”

A shopkeeper draped in a white towel had actually pushed Li Yan out.

It’s worth mentioning that this young fellow’s face was ruddy, looking no different than a living person.

Li Yan wasn’t upset, he asked with a smile, “Brother, how come the sign for Liubi House is gone?”

He pointed to the five big characters of Red Flag Pickles Factory above his head.

The shopkeeper, with a typically rural manner, took half a day to finally squeeze out a sentence.

“Isn’t this, breaking the Four Olds…”

“Oh~”

Li Yan nodded his head, looked around for a long while, but saw no one, then asked, “Then, when can we do business?”

The shop assistant shook his head: “Sir, I’ll just tell you the truth, we can’t do business with you.”

Li Yan was about to say something when a cool breeze swept by his side. He shifted his left foot and took two steps back. Before the door, unbeknownst to him when she arrived, stood a girl with her hair done up in twin buns, dressed in a flowing water-sleeved gown, her smile sweet.

She bowed to the shop assistant, her two fingers pinching the hem of her dress as she stepped inside. The shop assistant didn’t stop her but instead smiled.

Li Yan let out a breath and was weighing his options when a stream of verdant light emerged from the square hole of the copper coin around his neck, and Lady Dan stepped forward.

She locked eyes with Li Yan.

“Let me try.”

She glanced at the girl who had disappeared inside the door, her tone seemingly loaded with deeper meaning, “If she can go inside, I think I can too.”

Li Yan nodded, and Lady Dan exchanged a look with the shop assistant at the door. The man, initially ambivalent at her attire, seemed relieved after Lady Dan whispered something to him and stepped aside.

Lady Dan looked back with a smile and raised her palm, signaling Li Yan to follow her in.

Inside the Red Flag Pickles Factory, the lights were bright, and the room was filled with an indescribable salty fragrance. The sleepy shopkeeper behind the counter, and housed in blue-and-white porcelain jars under glass lids were various pickles.

Richly colored soy sauce, bean paste, oil, and rice flour.

Candied garlic, sweet-pickled cucumbers, preserved vegetables, Eight Treasure vegetables, squash, sweet dew—and atop them, the signature of the Six Treasure House.

Most tables were empty. The young girl who had entered earlier was now walking out with a small bundle, coming face to face with Lady Dan.

As they passed by each other, the girl turned her head to look at Lady Dan’s rounded shoulders for a while, then left the factory.

“What’s the story with that girl?” Li Yan asked.

Twirling the teacup in her hand, Lady Dan replied, “Hard to say.”

Li Yan said with a smile, “I have a feeling we’ll run into her again in the future.”

Their eyes met once more.

“Give me a hand! It’s stuck.”

Liang Ye emerged bit by bit from a screen no larger than a fingernail, especially his leg stuck on the outside, his face red with effort. The scene was both bizarre and somewhat comical.

Lady Dan looked away, and Li Yan scratched his head, rubbing his molars thoughtfully.

…

Li Yan took a carrot and dipped it into the sauce, taking a big bite.

Liang Ye, with a stubble-covered face, crossed his hands and rested them on his chin, trying to appear profound.

Li Yan looked at Liang Ye and couldn’t help thinking with some malice, if he put on frog-eye glasses and white gloves, tsk tsk…

“So, you mean that if I help you, you’ll help me find my parents.”

“Right, I help you find your parents, and in return, you help me out for the next few days. I can’t stay here much longer, and once I’m gone, what you do is none of my business.”

Liang Ye banged his fist on the table.

“Fine, what do you need help with?”

Lady Dan, who was nibbling at the Eight Treasure vegetables, looked up, prompting Li Yan to pause.

Here it comes.

The door swung open, letting in a gust of fishy wind.

Soft black leather boots stepped onto the floor, and a deathly pale face followed straight in.